George Foreman

"I didn't come back for the money. I just got sick of beating people up for free." -George Foreman, on his boxing comeback in '87.

George Foreman won a gold medal in boxing at the 1968 Olympics; he then went on to become world heavyweight champion in the 1970s -- and again in the 1990s. These days, George Foreman is best known for his top-selling Lean Mean Grilling Machine and other licensed products.

MAGNETISM

George Foreman has a certain charm. Women have noticed his "button-nosed, twinkly-eyed" persona, which gives him a jovial, almost Santa Claus-like appeal. While this doesn't exactly make him a babe magnet, Foreman has a lot more going for him than, say, Mike Tyson does.

Foreman also scores points with the ladies for his devotion to family -- if only it meant he wasn't already taken. He's devoted to Mary, his wife of over 20 years, and his 10 children (five of which are boys, all named George Edward).

SUCCESS

George Foreman's accomplishments inside and outside the ring are astounding. He is an Olympic gold medalist and former world heavyweight champion -- winning that title a second time at the unprecedented age of 45. Foreman's career record is 76 wins (68 by knockout) and only 5 losses. But Foreman has been just as, if not more, successful as a businessman, taking in a reported $240 million US from his endorsements and product lines.

"Big George" has a colossal public profile. He's a legend in boxing, with a pro career that has spanned nearly 30 years; in 1990, he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, and inductions into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame followed suit in 2002 and 2003. Even so, lately Foreman says he is recognized by the younger generation because of his famous grills: "They don't even know me as the champ anymore."

But all that might change: Word has it that his last fight against Larry Holmes, which was originally scheduled to take place in January 1999, may still take place, as Holmes has been challenging Foreman to a fight since December 2004.

George Foreman Biography

George Edward Foreman was born to JB and Nancy Foreman on January 10, 1949, in the town of Marshall, Texas. An impoverished youth, Foreman often bullied younger children and didn't like getting up early for school. Foreman became a mugger and street brawler by age 15.

george foreman, from thug to boxer

Luckily, he was saved by Lyndon Johnson's Job Corps program, which helped troubled kids. Foreman traveled to California, where he met Job Corps counselor and boxing coach Doc Broaddus, who encouraged Foreman to become a fighter.

Once he began to train at the gym, Foreman rapidly established an impressive amateur record. The culmination of his amateur boxing career came at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, where he won a gold medal.

He got extra attention when he brandished an American flag after his win; "I wanted everyone in the world to know I was an American," he later explained, "and proud of the opportunity that I was given to do what I had done."

foreman becomes heavyweight champ

In 1969, Foreman turned professional. Within two years, Foreman was ranked the No. 1 challenger by the WBA and WBC; by 1972, Foreman's impressive record was 37 wins (most by knockout) and no losses.

Foreman got his shot at the world heavyweight championship when he was scheduled to fight Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22, 1973. Frazier was the favorite going into the bout, but Foreman knocked him out in the second round. An unprecedented TV audience watched Foreman become the champ -- the fight was HBO Boxing's first-ever broadcast.

Foreman successfully defended his title twice. He beat Puerto Rican heavyweight champion Jose Roman in 50 seconds, the shortest heavyweight championship match; Foreman also beat Ken Norton (who had just beaten Muhammad Ali) in a mere two rounds. But when Foreman faced off against Ali himself in the summer of 1974, he went down.

The much-hyped "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire, had been delayed due to an injury Foreman had suffered in training; Ali had spent the interim taunting Foreman relentlessly, which made him too angry and frustrated to stay focused.

foreman becomes preacher, then champ

After taking 1975 off, Foreman returned to boxing, winning a number of fights before losing by decision to Jimmy Young in Puerto Rico in 1977. It was in his dressing room after the fight that Foreman had a religious experience; he then gave up boxing and became a born-again Christian.

He was ordained a minister and began preaching in his hometown of Marshall, Texas. In 1984, he founded the George Foreman Youth and Community Center, a non-denominational place for kids who need direction like he once did.

However, the George Foreman Center needed money to stay operational; by 1987, Foreman decided to return to boxing to support it. Foreman proved his detractors wrong when he kept winning fights into his 40s; in 1991 he had a shot at the title, but lost to champ Evander Holyfield by decision.

In 1994, however, Foreman took on the new champ Michael Moorer, and knocked him out in the 10th round; Foreman became, at 44, the oldest fighter ever to win the heavyweight crown, and also the fighter with the most time between one world championship and the next. Foreman gave away his titles in 1995, after defending them against Axel Schultz and refusing a rematch.

george foreman, lean mean grilling machine

By the time Foreman retired from boxing (again) in 1999, he was well on his way to a second career as a businessman. Since the early 1990s, Foreman had discovered his talent for salesmanship, and by the end of the decade, he was making millions off of infomercials and licensing his George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine.

When not promoting Meineke mufflers or George Foreman's Knock-Out Cleanser, Foreman tends to his ministry and charitable work. He also spends time with his family on his 300-acre ranch in Marshall.